Valle D Aosta in the north west of Italy is the smallest province and borders France and Switzerland, dwarfed beneath the towering pinnacles of the Alpine mountains. This is an area for outdoor exploration, wooded hill slopes, rocky crags and plunging gorges that lead to a myriad of eco-tourist adventures.
This is where you will find Europe’s largest mountain peak, Mount Blanc. There is also the colourful Mount Rosa, which at certain times of the day is tinted by the sun’s glare along with the beautiful splendour of the Parc Gran Paradiso.
For the green tourist the province is one of the most eco-friendly. Much of its power is derived from hydroelectric plants, which, are driven by the many cascading waterways that come crashing down from the mountains. The number of Agritourismo, holiday farms and B&B residences has dramatically increased in recent years.
Recycling and use of renewable resources are a natural way of life for many of Italy’s rural areas. Most families heat their houses using wood burning stoves, the orto (vegetable patch) is common and many people keep rabbits, chickens and ducks. During the autumn months you will regularly see people happily trimming the verges and bundling up the sticks to take home with them for their winter fires.
Wells too are a common practice for supplying communities with fresh water and the use of solar power has become an increasingly popular addition to supplement electricity supplies. With an average of six months a year bathed in lovely sunshine a natural source of energy is never far away.
Whether you are looking for a green travel that encompasses exciting outdoor activities or a tranquil place where you can be at one with nature, then Valle D Aosta with its quirky Italian French blend will provide an eco-friendly destination and an ideal chance to explore northern Italy’s great outdoors in the shadow of the Alps. This is the area the winter tourists head for and with over 900km of ski runs it proves to be a very popular destination.
Photo by Flickr Zanthia